His Sunday Substitute - Chapter 44

Su Yinuo truly couldn’t fathom why Qin Wangxuan would help her, nor did she know what she could offer in exchange for his assistance. As she hesitated, Qin Wangxuan chuckled lightly and said, “How about this, why don’t you go on a date with me, sister-in-law?”

“No!” Su Yinuo refused instantly, without even half a second of consideration.

Qin Wangxuan feigned deep hurt, letting out an exaggerated wail before continuing, “Fine, then. From now on, when I come to see you, you can’t coldly reject me like you did this morning. At least treat me like an ordinary friend, okay?”

“Alright, fine.” Su Yinuo agreed hesitantly.

“Great! Tonight, I’ll go gather some information for you. See you tomorrow!” Qin Wangxuan blew her a playful kiss before hanging up.

With half the weight in her heart lifted, Su Yinuo let out a sigh of relief. But when she turned to glance at the front door, an inexplicable sense of guilt crept over her, as if she had done something wrong.

Biting her lip nervously, she sent Qin Cangye a message: Where are you? Are you back yet?

Outside the living room door, Qin Cangye, who had been about to unlock it with his fingerprint, paused and withdrew his hand. After a brief hesitation, he replied: At the fruit shop, waiting for them to cut the fruit. I’ll be back soon, Nuonuo.

Inside, Su Yinuo clutched her phone, unconsciously swiping the screen back and forth. After a few seconds of internal struggle, she dialed Ji Wenjun’s number.

When the call connected, an icy voice came through: “Su Yinuo.” Her heart trembled at the sound, a pang of discomfort striking her. She had never heard Ji Wenjun speak so coldly before. Though she harbored no romantic feelings for him, she had long considered him a friend. Overwhelmed with guilt for the pain she had caused him that day, she hurriedly apologized, “I’m sorry, Ji Wenjun. I shouldn’t have used you like that. I’m really, truly sorry.”

A bitter laugh came through the phone.

“It’s not your fault, Su Yinuo,” Ji Wenjun’s voice was heavy with sorrow. “Do you know how happy I was when you threw yourself into my arms and told Qin Cangye you liked me? But then, right after, I watched helplessly as he shoved you into the car. I didn’t dare to fight back, his glare terrified me. I was completely… powerless!”

He gritted his teeth in frustration before continuing, “It wasn’t until later that I realized, even if you did like me, I had already lost. I thought about it for a long, long time before finally accepting that you don’t actually like me, you just used me. Honestly, it crushed me. The blow from you, from Qin Cangye, sometimes I feel like I’ve become a worthless piece of trash.”

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry…”

Su Yinuo kept apologizing, drowning in remorse. So consumed by guilt, she didn’t hear the sound of the fingerprint lock disengaging or notice Qin Cangye standing outside the bedroom door, holding a fruit platter and yogurt.

“Am I really that worthless, Su Yinuo?”

Ji Wenjun sounded like a drowning man, desperately reaching out to her for salvation.

“Of course not! Ji Wenjun, don’t think like that, you’re great, you really are,” Su Yinuo urged passionately. “When we set up the stall together, how many girls asked for your contact? They all said you were sunny and handsome, and I think so too! And your drawings are so beautiful. Miaomiao even praised you for doing an exceptional job at work. You’re outstanding, okay? You’re truly outstanding.”

Finally, laughter came through the phone, though it carried a bitter edge. “I get it, Su Yinuo. I’m so great that someone better than you will like me, right?”

“Yes, yes, absolutely!” Su Yinuo quickly agreed.

Ji Wenjun sighed in resignation. “Alright, then let’s not stay in touch anymore. I’m afraid I won’t be able to forget you.”

Su Yinuo froze.

“Goodbye, Su Yinuo.”

The call ended, leaving Su Yinuo sitting dazed on the bed, her heart heavy with loss.

A loud clatter from the doorway snapped her out of it. Startled, she got up and walked nervously to the door, pushing it open to find Qin Cangye standing rigidly by the entrance, his head bowed.

His face was shadowed, and the things he had been holding had all fallen to the floor. His hands were clenched so tightly they trembled from the strain.

He seemed to be in immense pain, the oppressive aura around him making Su Yinuo’s heart ache with worry.

“Qin Cangye,” she called softly, reaching out to take his shaking hand. “What’s wrong? When did you get back?”

He didn’t pull away, but he didn’t speak either.

As she took his hand, something cold dripped onto the back of hers. Realizing what it was, she immediately cupped Qin Cangye’s face. Her palms met dampness, and her heart twisted in distress. “Qin Cangye, are you crying? Why are you crying? What’s going on?”

“Is he… really that good?” Qin Cangye finally spoke, his voice trembling.

“What?” After a brief pause, she understood. Standing on her toes, she wiped his tears with trembling fingers, her own voice choked. “You heard my call? Don’t overthink it. I just felt guilty about using Ji Wenjun to make you leave last time and getting him punched by you, so I wanted to apologize. He was upset, so I just comforted him a little. Please don’t misunderstand, okay?”

“Is he really that good?” Qin Cangye seemed deaf to her explanation.

“No, no, Qin Cangye, listen to me!” Su Yinuo cried out in desperation.

“What do I do, Nuonuo? If you like him, what should I do?”

“I don’t like him, I like you! I really do.”

Qin Cangye suddenly lifted his face, his reddened eyes and pained expression sending a jolt of fear through Su Yinuo.

Her lips trembled as she sobbed, “I really, I really do…”

Qin Cangye couldn’t hear any explanations. He grabbed Su Yinuo’s wrist, pressed his hand against her back, and slammed her heavily against the wall. His expression twisted into something monstrous, his pupils dilating as his voice, laced with madness and struggle, tore through the air, as if countless demons were shredding his reason, seizing his body, and dominating his consciousness: “You can’t like him, Su Yinuo. You can’t like anyone but me, or I’ll go mad, I really will! I’ll destroy you, I’ll-”

Su Yinuo was terrified. The person before her had transformed into a monster, deaf to reason and beyond persuasion. Suddenly, Qin Weishu’s words flashed through her mind, and with despair, she realized, it was likely true. Everything Qin Weishu had said was probably true!

What should she do? How could she bring him back?

She closed her eyes. Just as her pain and despair peaked, a sudden thought brought her an unexpected sense of release: Then she would go all out!

Tears streamed down her face again, but she laughed softly, as if relieved.

Go all out, go mad with him, die with him!!

She opened her eyes, leaned toward the frenzied man, rose onto her toes, and bit his Adam’s apple.

His ravings cut off abruptly. He froze, dazed by the sensation of her lips and tongue teasing him, the gentle nip of her teeth. Even when she pulled away, he remained spellbound.

“Tell me…”she murmured, her voice husky and mesmerizing, her gaze eerily calm, “if you go mad, how exactly will you destroy me?”

Qin Cangye’s fury eased slightly, but his reason remained in tatters. The thoughts in his mind spilled out unchecked: “I’ll… I’ll tie you up.”

To his shock, she smiled. “Fine. Then what?”

“Then I’ll tear your clothes off.”

Her voice was slow, as if discussing something mundane. “That’s fine too. Then?”

“Then I’ll take you completely. No matter how much you cry, no matter how you beg, I won’t stop. Even if you pass out, I won’t stop! I’ll mark every inch of you, make sure you’re so overwhelmed you can’t think of anyone else. I’ll make sure that no matter where your heart belongs, your body will never escape me! Even if you love someone else, you’ll only moan beneath me!”

He gripped her throat, fingers pressing lightly, voicing his darkest desire. “I’ll break you, first your body, then your soul. You’ll belong to me forever!”

She didn’t resist. The tenderness in her eyes baffled him, slowly piecing his shattered reason back together. Only then did he realize the horrors he had just uttered.

“I’m sorry, Nuonuo, I’m sorry,” he gasped, releasing her and stumbling back in panic.

“It’s alright.” Her voice was soft, frail, tear tracks still glistening on her cheeks. She untied the sash of her robe, let it slide to the floor, then met his gaze. Pressing the sash firmly into his hand, her sweet face twisted into a maddened grin:

“Use this to tie me up… Then, destroy me.”

His eyes widened as he stared at the fragile yet resolute figure before him, his pupils trembling uncontrollably.

The smile on her face, he understood it now. It was the despair of surrender.

It felt as though countless blades shot from her smile, piercing his body, splattering his filthy blood onto her flawless, porcelain skin. He felt as though he was using the vilest means to destroy his own angel. Overwhelmed by agony and regret, he clutched her tightly, sinking to the ground with her in his arms. Burying his face against her chest, his voice shook as he whispered, “No, no… I was wrong, Nuonuo, I was wrong…”

…

At the Qin family mansion on Chaoyang Mountain.

Qin Wangxuan stepped out of the servants’ quarters and into the pitch-black garden. Moments earlier, he had learned the rough details of that night from a few elderly servants.

It had been an ordinary evening. Li Ruyin wasn’t feeling well, so after dinner, Qin Cangye had gone straight to her third-floor bedroom. Before long, the two had begun arguing on the balcony.

Some of the servants had been on the first floor, while others had already returned to their quarters. No one had heard the specifics of their quarrel, though one elderly gardener had faintly caught the words “get out” and “die.” When the old man looked up, he saw Li Ruyin, wearing a red-checkered dress, being shoved by Qin Cangye toward the railing.

The light was too dim to make out Li Ruyin’s face clearly beneath her disheveled hair, but she had been trembling in fear. Qin Cangye, already towering at 1.6 meters tall at the age of ten, had worn a terrifyingly ferocious expression. After roaring “Die!” once more, Li Ruyin suddenly lost her balance and toppled over the balcony, crashing into the half-meter-tall bushes below.

Everyone had been horrified. Amid the screams, Qin Weishu and his trusted aides had been the first to rush out and reach the bushes.

The other servants had been forbidden from approaching and were ordered back to their rooms. It wasn’t until days later that they learned Li Ruyin had died, and the young master had gone mad.

“But…” One elderly servant hesitated before Qin Wangxuan left, murmuring a detail no one else had paid attention to: “From that day on, Lady Ruyin’s personal maid, Chunyan, also vanished. Who knows if she saw something that night and the master… Ah, but we dare not speculate.”

Qin Wangxuan didn’t dwell on it, assuming Chunyan must have been in the bedroom and witnessed Qin Cangye pushing Li Ruyin, hence her “disposal.”

So, Li Ruyin really had been killed by Qin Cangye?

Lost in thought, Qin Wangxuan entered the villa through the back door. Near the tearoom, he overheard Qin Weishu speaking.

Immediately slowing his steps, he turned into a nearby stairwell.

“A red-checkered dress,” Qin Weishu chuckled darkly. “I wonder if it’ll send her away too?”

“Brilliant, master,” Old Yan flattered.

“Qin Cangye, Qin Cangye… You should be like me, a man left with nothing but solitude. You said I was empty, with only money to my name. Well, now I’ll make sure you lose everything!” Qin Weishu hissed venomously.

Qin Wangxuan, having caught every word, furrowed his brow. A thick fog of confusion swirled in his mind.

What did that mean? What exactly was he plotting?